Greening IT Publications

By International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) (October 2012, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) )

In and interview with Anriette Esterhuysen and Alan Finlay of APC, David Souter, senior associate with IISD and managing director of ict Development Associates explores the key issues around ICTs and environmental sustainability.

By Shawna Finnegan and Lisa Cyr (August 2012, International Institute for Sustainable Development )

Though Rio has a long history with ICTs, dating back to the original Earth Summit in 1990 when APC set up “communications centres” for the UN, there was very little reflection at the summit 20 years later. APC’s Shawna Finnegan and Lisa Cyr report on their observations at the conference.

This new publication by the Association for Progressive Communications and the International Development Research Centre gathers several reports from developing countries on how ICTs are and can be applied to help communities experiencing water-reated stress, adapt to climate change.

The Exploratory survey on the environmentally sustainable ICT use in the ICT for development sector is part of a newly-created APC programme in the field of ICTs and environmental sustainability. The survey should be considered an indication of organisation needs and challenges when it comes to ICTs and environmental sustainability. Further areas to research and explore are suggested by the results.

This inventory was developed to identify innovative, appropriate and affordable ICT tools, devices and sustainable practices that could be used in the non-profit sector. The inventory of sustainable tools and practices, and the report on the survey of ICT4D organisations are part of a newly-created APC programme in the field of ICTs and environmental sustainability.

Country baseline studies from Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Egypt, India and Mexico look at the rising issue of e-waste and the policy environment around it, while a comparative report highlights the main points from the country studies.

Mexico has one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, and is therefore also very vulnerable to climate change. This report identifies in what ways the use of ICTs has been proposed in public policies as aresponse to climate change.It also points out convergence between the digital and climate agenda, and offers a deeper reflection and analysis on the issue.

In India, the ICT boom in recent years has greatly increased the presence of new dangerous and toxic waste in the environment but no official policies have been created to deal with the informal disposal of e-waste in the country. This study addresses the need for a consolidated study in India of any sorts to measure the policy trends in relation to environmental sustainability, climate change and ICTs.